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Transit NewsWatch | June 18, 2009
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Budget problems slow down new rapid bus line
The Orange County Register
The county's transportation agency was to unveil a new express bus line this month, a system that would eventually include real-time schedule information for riders and a mechanism to shorten idle time at red lights. However, faced with a $33 million transit budget deficit, the Orange County Transportation Authority's introduction of the new Bravo! rapid bus service has been delayed until next June. More than 130,000 annual bus service hours have already been cut since December from regular routes, about 7 percent of service, and an additional 400,000 hours are on the way out. A total of about 30 percent of bus service will have been slashed once all cuts have been implemented, transportation authority officials say.
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Despite new challenges, Americans continue flocking to public transit
Transportation for America
Despite facing a dismal economy, deep cuts in service, and painful fare increases, Americans are continuing to use public transportation in near record numbers... nearly 100 transit agencies have already cut service, raised fares, laid off workers — or are considering cuts of some kind to cope with the severe budget crises facing counties, towns and cities...While this crisis is causing extreme hardship for many agencies, most of them (specifically, those that service metro areas with more than 200,000 people) are not allowed to use federal dollars to help run their buses and rail systems.
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Board passes BART fare increase, service cuts
San Francisco Chronicle
BART riders will be hit with higher fares and reduced service at night and on weekends under a budget package approved Thursday by the rail agency's governing board. A 6.1 percent fare hike will go into effect July 1 - six months ahead of schedule - and the minimum cost of a BART ride will go up 25 cents, to $1.75. The fare hikes and service cuts don't go far enough to close a projected $22 million budget gap in BART's $642.4 million budget for the new fiscal year that starts July 1.
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Gold Coast changes, eliminates some bus routes
The Ventura County Star
West Ventura County bus service provider Gold Coast Transit will implement a series of route changes and eliminations next month that officials say are needed to live with declining revenues…With member cities receiving less money that funds transit operations, “we had no choice but to reduce some service on an already lean transit system,” General Manager Deborah Linehan said. “We took a hard look at how our bus routes were performing. We preserved the routes with the highest ridership, cut routes and trips with lower ridership and tried to maintain or improve route-to- route connections throughout the system.”
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www.caltransit.org // p. 916.446.4656 // f. 916-446-4318
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